Electric-railway signal.



No. 657,730. Patented Sept. ll, I900.

-G. H. DUNHAM.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY SIGNAL.

(Application filed Nov. 11, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheeis-$haat I.

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No. 657,730. Patented Sept. ll, I900.

G. I -l. DUNHAM. ELECTRIC RAILWAY SIGNAL.

I (Application filed Nov. 11, 1899:) (No Model.) 2 $hoets$hoet 2.

Gedrge Jilhmham,

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UNirED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE ii. DUNHAM, or QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR oNEnALE TO ELMERH. HEATH, or BOSTON, MASSAonUSETTS.

ELECTRIC-RAILWAY SIGNAL.

si E'cIEIcATIoN forming part of Letters Patent no. 657,730, dated.September 11, 1900. Application filed November 11, 1899. Serial No.736,651. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern: said wire and the space between the uprightBe it known that I, GEORGE H. DUNHAM, portions being filled with solderor other of Quincy, in the county of Norfolk and State metal,whichfirmly connects said upright porof Massachusetts, have in vented certainnew tions of the sheet metal together, as shown in 5 and usefulImprovementsinElectric-Railway Fig. 6.

Signals, of which the following, taken in con- Upon the upper surface ofthe T-shaped nection with the accompanying drawings, is stand 7 ismounted the metal box 8, one end a specification. of which is firmlysecured to said stand by My invention relates to electric -railway thespring-hinge 9, constructed and arranged IO signals; and it consists incertain novel feaso that the tension of said spring tends to tures ofconstruction, arrangement, and comhold the bottom of said box in contactwith bination of parts, which Will be readily unsaid upper surface ofthe stand 7, as shown (lGISliOOd by reference to the description of inFig. 3, but at the same time permitting the the accompanyingdrawings andto the claims opposite end of said box to be raised, mov- 15 heretoappended and in which my invention ing about the pintle of said hinge,as will he is clearly pointed out. more fully described hereinafter. Thebox Figure 1 of the drawings is a perspective 8 has mounted in the endthereof next to said view of a section of an electric railway with hingean electromagnet 9, supported upon my signaling apparatus connectedtherewith. the plate or bar 10, of insulating material, 20 Fig. 2 is aplan of the signal-circuit-closing placed upon the bottom of said boxandhavbox mountedin afixed position on the trolleying formed in its underside a longitudinal wire with the cover removed. Fig. 3 is a groove 11,within which is placed the metal vertical longitudinal section on lineno a: on armature 12, directly beneath the pole ends Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is atransverse section on line of said magnet, as shown in Figs. 3 and 1. 25y y on Fig. 3 looking toward the left of said The poles of said magnetare set in said infigure. Fig. 5 is a plan of thesignal-circuitsulating-plate above said grooves, but do not breaking boxwith its cover removed, and extend quite through the thinnest portionFig. 6 is a transverse section of the same on thereof, as shown in Fig.An inclined line a ,2 on Fig. 5 looking toward the right of raceway 13,of insulating material, extends 30 said figure. 4 from said magnet tothe opposite end of said In the drawings,1 is an electric car mountedbox, in the upper surface of which is formed upon the rails 2 2 of asingle-track railway, a groove extending lengthwise thereof, the b isthe trolley-arm, 1 the trolley-wheel, and two walls of which are atright angles to each 5 the trolley-wire, all of which may be of anyother, as shown in Fig. 4. The raceway 13 5 well-known construction, andsaid trolleyhas secured upon the upper portions of the wire is suspendedfrom the cross sup'portwalls of its groove two metal bars 14 and 15,ing-wires 6, and the current of electricity is which extend from the endnear said magnet supplied to said trolley wire from the main toward theopposite end of said raceway feeding-wire (not shown) in any well-knownnearly three-fourths of the length thereof, as o manner. shown in Fig.3. In the end of said box op- The object of my invention is toautomatposite to said magnet there is mounted upon ically convey theintelligence from one turna shaft 16 the pendent lever 17, which proouton a single-track road to the next turnout jects through a slot 18 inthe raceway 13 and in advance that the track between said turnacorresponding slot in the bottom of the box 45 outs is occupied, andthus guard against the 8 and has formed upon its lower end the cydangerof collisions, and to this end I mount lindrical cross-arm 19, which isdirectly above upon the trolley-wire 5, at or near each turnand in nearproximity to the trolley-wire 5, out,a T-shaped stand 7,formed of sheetmetal said pendent lever being also provided with bent around said wireinto a U shape, with the arm 20, which projects therefrom near I00 50its upper portions turned outward at right its upper end horizontally,or nearly so, toangles to its upright portions and soldered to ward saidmagnet and acts as a counterweight to normally hold said pendent lever17 in the position shown in Fig. 3. A metal sphere 21 is placed in saidraceway-groove and normally rests in the lowest part of said groove andin contact with said pendent lever 17, as shown in Fig. 3, but is freeto be moved along said raceway toward said magnet when the lower end ofsaid lever 17 is moved in that direction by the contact of the flangesof the trolley-wheel 4 with the cross-- arm 19. The box 8 is in electricconnection with the trolley-wire 5 and is connected with l the metalplate 14 by the wire 22, and the metal plate 15 is connected to the wire23 of the magnet-coils, the other end of which passes out of the end ofsaid box and extends to the signal-post 24 at the side of the track nearsaid box 8, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. The post 24 carries a singleincandescent electric'lamp 25, connected electrically with saidmagnet-coils on one side and on the other with the wire 26, whichextends to a point near the next turnout and connects within thecircuit-breaking box 27 with the bar or plate 28, as shown in Figs. 5and 6. The box 27 is mounted upon the trolley-wire near said secondturnout in precisely the same manner asthe box 8 is mounted and hasmounted in one end thereof the pendent lever 29, constructed andarranged in the same manner as in box 8 and having its middle portionwrapped with insulating material 41, and an angularly-grooved raceway30, of insulating material, is placed in an inclined position in i saidbox and extends from end to end thereof, with its lowest end next to thelever 29. I

The cross-section of said raceway 30 is the same as the raceway 13 inbox 8, and the angular upper corners of its two inclined sides havesecured thereon at the end thereof next to the lever 29 the metal barsor plates 28 and 31, which extend toward the farthest oropposite end ofsaid box a distance equal to about two-sevenths, more or less, of thelength of said box, as shown in Fig. 5. The plate 31 is connected by thewire 32 to the signaltion of said plate, as indicated in dotted lines inFig. 4. The pin 36 is connected electrically with the box 8 by the wire38, and the pin 37 with the bar or plate 15 by the wire 39,

ing in the condition illustrated in the drawings, except thatthe car isupon the turnout (not shown) and is approaching the main line or singletrack, the electric circuit through the signal-lamps is broken and thelamps are not lighted. As the car moves toward the single track theflanges of the trolley-wheel strike the cross-arm 19 of the lever 17,thus imparting a sudden movement of said lever about its shaft 16 andcausing the metal sphere 21 to roll up the inclined raceway 13 intocontact with the plates 14 and 15, thereby closing the circuit throughthe signal-lamps, the current at the same time passing through the coilsof the magnet, thereby magnetizing the soft-iron poles, which thenattract the armature 12 and cause it to come in contact with the pins 36and 37, and as one of said pins is connected directly with the box 8,and through it to the trolley-wire, and the other of said pins being inconnection with the coils of the magnet through the wires 23 and 39 thecontact of the armature 12 with the pins 36 and 37 causes the circuitthrough the magnet to be maintained until the circuit is broken at thebox .27, notwithstanding the fact that the sphere 21 rolls down theinclined raceway out of contact wit-h the plates 14 and 15 as soon asthe trolley-wheel 4 has passed the arm 19 of the lever 17. When the carreaches the next turnout, the trolleywheel 4 comes in contact with thecross-arm of the lever 29 and moves it about its axis of motion, causingthe sphere 40 to roll up the inclined groove of the raceway 30 out ofcontact withthe plates 28 and 31, thereby breaking the circuit andextinguishing the signallights. The wires 26 and 32 are individuallyinsulated, and then the two wires are laid side by side beneath theraceway 30, as indicated by dotted lines in Figs. 5 and 6.

The boxes 8 and 27 are connected to the T-shaped stands 7 by thespring-hinge 9 for the purpose of permitting the opposite ends thereofto lift against the tension of said springs to allow the trolley-wheelto pass under the cross-arms of the levers 17 and 29 in case the car isbacked or run in the opposite direction. 7

It must be understood that in order to be able to give signals at eachadvance turnout in succession for cars running in both directions theremust be provided a circuit-closing box and a circuit-breaking box ateach turnout for cars running in one direction and the same number ofsimilar boxes at each turnout for cars running in the oppositedirection.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is-

1. In an electric-railway signal the combination with the trolley-wire,of a side-currentconducting medium connected to said trolleywire at ornear one turnout, and grounded at or near the next turnout; a box orreceptacle of conducting material mounted upon and above saidtrolley-wire; a pendent lever mounted in said box and projecting belowit into near proximity to said trolley-wire; an angularly-grooved andinclined raceway of non-conducting material mounted in said box with itslowest end in near proximity to said lever; a pair of metal plates onthe upper edges of said grooved raceway and extending from the endthereof opposite to said lever, toward said lever three-fourths, more orless, of the length of said raceway; an electromagnet mounted in saidbox; a plate of insulating material inclosing the poles of said magnet;a pair of metal pins set in, and projecting through said pole=inclosingplate; an armature beneath the poles of said magnet; conducting-wiresconnecting one of said pins and one of said plates on the raceway withsaid box; wires connecting the other of said plates with the other ofsaid pins and with the coils of said magnet; a plurality of incandescentelectric lamps in said circuit at or near the next turnout; a metalsphere resting in the lowest part of the groove of said raceway andmovable along said groove, all so constructed and arranged that atrolleywheel carried by a moving car will act upon the lower end of saidlever and impel said sphere along said raceway into contact with themetal plates on said raceway to close said side circuit and light thesignal-lamp, and means to be operated by said trolley-wheel at or nearsaid second turnout for breaking said side circuit and extinguishing thesignallights.

2. In a signaling device the combination of a main circuit-line; a sidecircuit-line con- 7 nected at one end to said main line and grounded atits other end; a signal-lamp in said side circuit at or near its distantend; a circuitclosing mechanism connecting said main and sidecircuit-lines; means for automatically operating said circuit-closingmechanism to light said signal-lamp; a circuitbreaking device at or nearsaid distant end comprising the box 27, the pendent lever 29 having itsmiddle portion covered with insulating material 41; the inclined raceway30 of insulating material, having its lowest end next to said lever; themetal plates 28 and 31 secured upon the upper edges of said raceway atthe end thereof next to said lever and extending a short distance towardthe opposite end of said raceway; and the metal sphere 4O resting uponsaid plates 28 and 31 and in contact with the insulated portion of saidlever 29.

3. In a signaling device for electric railways, the combination with atrolley-wire or main circuit-line, and a side circuit-line constructedand arranged to be intermittently connected at one end to said main lineand grounded at its other end, and a circuit-closing device operated bya passing trolleywheel; of a circuit-maintaining device, comprising theelectromagnet 9 in said side cir cuit-line; the non-conducting plate 10inclosing the poles of said magnet; the pins 36 and 37 set in andprojecting through said plate; the armature 12; and suitable wiresconnecting said pins 36 and 37 respectively with the main circuit-lineand with said side circuitline.

4. In an electric railway signaling device the combination with thetrolley wire and trolley-wheel of an electric railway, of a sidecircuit-line extending from one turnout to the next and grounded at thelatter turnout; a circuit-closing mechanism connecting said trolley-wireand side line at or near said first turnout and constructed and arrangedto be automatically operated by said trolley-wheel; an electricsignal-lamp at or near said second turnout and in said side circuit; anda circuit-breaking device in said side circuit-line near said secondturnout comprising themetal box 27; mounted upon and in electricconnection with said trolleywire; the lever 29; the angularly-groovedand inclined raceway 30 of non-conducting material; the short metalplates 28 and 31 secured to the upper corners of said raceway at the endnext to said lever 29; the metal sphere 39 normally resting upon saidplates 28 and 31, and the band of insulating material 40 surrounding thependent arm of said lever 29 opposite said sphere, said plates 28 and 31forming portions of said side circuit-line, and said lever 29 beingconstructed and arranged to be vibrated by the trolley-wheel and thusimpel the sphere along the inclined groove of said raceway beyond theends of the plates 28 and 31 and thus break the circuit and extinguishthe signal-lights.

5. A circuit-closing mechanism comprising the following elements, viz:the box 8; the lever 17; the non conducting raceway 13; the plates 14and 15 mounted on said raceway; the sphere 21 of conducting material;the electromagnet 9; the non -conducting plate 10; the pins 36 and 37;the armature 12, and suitable wires connecting said pins 36 and 37,respectively, with said box 8 and the plate 15, all constructed,arranged and operating substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 8th day of November, A.D. 1899.

GEORGE H. DUNHAM.

Witnesses:

N. O. LOMBARD, GEORGE H. BROWN.

